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RESTORING THE FURNITURE WHEN IT'S SUN-FADED

This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996.
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GIVEN time, sunlight can bring an attractive mellowness to furniture, enhancing its appearance. It can be overdone, however, particularly if the fading is severe and uneven.

If an occasional table, complete with lamp or bric-a-brac, sits in the window of a sunny room, the exposed surface can be bleached while the surface under the lamps or ornaments remains dark. Backs of chairs near windows are particularly vulnerable.

Woods react differently to light. Generally speaking, the greater the transparency of the finish, the greater the fade factor. Much will depend on how heavy the natural pigment is and how the wood was treated when converted into furniture. The wood might have been stained or oiled to bring out the highlights or left as it was with a protective coat or two of varnish.

Most woods seem to stabilize in color somewhere along the line, and any appreciable change thereafter will be either surface grime that has reached into the finish or a yellowing or bleaching of the finish because of direct sun. Simple daylight can also be a dulling agent.

The degree of damage can vary according to the tannic acid in the wood and the country of origin. Some minor fading can be corrected. Occasionally, where fading is slight and the finish has been rendered porous from microscopic cracks caused by ultraviolet rays, an oil preservative will penetrate both the fini sh and the outer layer of fibers and restore color. Thistreatment mus t always be tested first in an inconspicuous spot, for oil on wood t hat has become dry and lifeless may produce a look not cherished by all.

In bad cases of fading the finish must be removed entirely and the lightened layer must be taken down with abrasives just far enough to reveal the natural color. Usually a few passes with sandpaper are sufficient. From there you will have to go through the stages in the refinishing cycle. Most important is to even the new look revealed by the sanding with the old look, undisturbed save for the removal of its finish.

Should the piece being worked on have to return to its place in the sun and staining is desirable, use a pigmented rather than a clear stain. While not fadeproof, it will hold its color longer. Then a coat of varnish containing a special chemical that actually absorbs and then dissipates the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays can be used.

Mahogany seems to suffer more through overexposure than other less-pigmented cabinet woods. Oak and walnut can become similarly affected and should be corrected the same way.

A version of this article appears in print on September 3, 1981, on Page C00006 of the National edition with the headline: RESTORING THE FURNITURE WHEN IT'S SUN-FADED. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe